Retracing Steps
by 1-Artemis-Hunter-1
Summary: Marie returns after a court demanded stint in a boarding school, Edd can't believe how much both of them have changed. Secrets are released but can this relationship really work? T for general content, may or may not make this a full story. Please review! Cover art by Ceramir on deviantart.


**Alright, I got caught in a nostalgia vortex and just couldn't get this out of my head so here it is, don't hate on me too much b/c of the pairing or my interpretations of the show. Drop a review I love to read them!**

* * *

><p>Unfortunately for the universe, which seemed hell bent on making Eddward, Double D, Polak's life horrendous, his morning had been going very uneventful but of course, as he should have known from the past, that only meant something even more outrageous was bound to happen.<p>

Such an event reared its head as he strolled through the halls of Peach Creek High when suddenly a flash of blue made his brain go haywire. He flashed through a trip down memory lane that made him stop dead in his tracks.

Now a senior in the school, the seventeen year old was much different than his sixth grade self in many aspects that he was proud of, mostly the fact that he had filled out physically. He had joined the track team upon his mother's request and thanks to trips to the weight room, the lanky kid he once was had been was lost in the past. His height had also caught up with him and he stood at least a foot taller than everyone in his class. It was this height advantage that he could see the girl at the end of the hall.

She had naturally blue hair, cut in a short pixie style that suited her perfectly. From the opposite end of the long hallway he could see her matching blue irises that had stared into his soul numerous times, generally against his will. She had also changed dramatically from their awkward preadolescence days, her shoulders had narrowed, her hips widened a bit while her arms, legs, and waist slimmed; all of it was clearly on show thanks to the black band tee that seemed almost a size too small as it hugged all her curves.

Double D gulped at the girl in front of him, she was beautiful and so much different from the girl he saw five years ago when she had been sent away to a boarding school. At the age of fourteen she managed to get a junkyard car running and took it for a test drive, well of course all the local police knew how old she was and she did not in fact have a permit. Not only did she get in trouble for driving without a license, she technically didn't own the car she had fixed even if it was brought to be junked.

All of the Cul-De-Sac kids attended the hearing where the judged offered her juvenile jail time or spending the equivalent time at a strict private school that would 'turn her around'. It was the only time Edd had ever seen her so crushed, so defeated as she sat staring at the floor and took her punishment. Her sisters actually cried before they loaded her and a few possessions onto a bus.

Orange jumpsuit didn't suit her vibrant blue hair very well, and he was glad to hear she would get adequate schooling while she was away, but something inside him was taken away along with the middle Kanker sister. Her absence was one reason he was willing to join the track team, why he worked out so much, or why any of his free time was spent studying; he needed something to keep him mind busy twenty-four seven so there was no chance he could think about her, how she was doing or imagine what they would be doing if she were still in Peach Creek.

But now she was back, and he had to say hello to her. His feet finally started moving, ignoring a teammate that asked when practice was and the girls that greeted him with makeup chalked faces and too blond hair, focused purely on her and how she only came up to his pectorals but had two of the most infuriatingly long legs he's ever seen.

He came to a stop next to her, unsure of how to start a conversation with the girl that use to torment him and he hasn't seen for five years. She turned her head as he settled, her smile was perfect with no traces of the yellow or crooked teeth he remembered and it almost made his knees _weak_. "Double D? Is that you, oh my gosh you got so tall!" Her slim frame was suddenly pressed against him and he had to remind his muscles to return the hug so she didn't think he was a stick of wood.

Edd regretted wrapping his arms around her waist, he didn't want to let her go, her perfume filled his nostrils and surrounded his already jumbled mind in a haze of strawberries and vanilla. "Wow, you certainly went through an upgrade huh oven-mitt. Oh, uh, sorry."

Her apology took him off guard, sure he knew she was referring to the fact he had shed his ridiculous over-sized t-shirt and shorts for dress shirts and pants but why was she apologizing? For calling him oven-mitt? "Oh, it's fine," He rubbed the back of his head as best he could without messing with his beanie, it was the only thing of his wardrobe that stayed the same even though the 'sock hats' as Eddy referred to them were ditched for more stylish, woven beanies. "It's fine, I'm use to it. You look great too Marie, five years is a long time."

She nodded, her cheeks still a little red from when she accidentally used one of her old pet names for him, and though that was the last thing Double D cared about, he appreciated the fact she had seemingly gotten over the childhood obsession with tackling and kissing him. "Yeah, uh, the years certainly were good on you. How are um, Ed and Eddy? I haven't seen them yet."

Edd felt his face heat up a bit when she implied that he was attractive and tried to think about his two friends. "Uh, believe it or not but Eddy joined the football team and-"

Marie's laugh cut off any kind of thought he was going to say, the sound was like Beethoven's symphonies or Mozart's masterworks. "I bet Kevin isn't very happy about that."

Double D grinned, she sure was in for a surprise. "They're friends actually." Her flabbergasted expression was silenced by the first bell that signaled five minutes until first period started. "There has been many changes since you left, if you would like we could, well, catch up after school today at my house." His palms were sweating his books right out of his hands.

The bluenette gave him a gentle smile, a drastic difference than the sultry one she use to flash him. "I'd like that Double D, a lot. What class do you have right now?" She pulled out a literary book that was thicker than her arm which Edd grabbed quickly, showing her his own identical version.

"English twelve, which I suppose is what you have?" She nodded, looking a little like he had shocked her when he touched her. He shifted both seven hundred page textbooks to his left and offered her his right arm. "I'll show you where the classroom is, the high school can be a little confusing." Still surprised, she looped her arm through his, loving how warm he was through the sharp, pink dress shirt.

Marie absentmindedly shut her locker as they walked away, gazing up at his angular face lined with a day or two worth of black stubble that matched the tuffs poking out of the white beanie on his head. He grinned down at her, the small gap in his two front teeth the only flaw on his perfect body. He had definitely _filled out _over the years, nearly a foot taller than her with hard, well defined muscles she could definitely feel working under her fingertips that made her brain a pile of mush.

Not to mention he was carrying both of their books in just one of his large, bear sized hands that made her head spin. She sighed and attempted to clear her mind of all those thoughts, she was getting infinitely too worked up for just the first hour of the school, and if his schedule was as similar to hers as it sounds from his rambling, she was in for a very long first day back.

"I would have thought you would take all AP classes." She told him as she took a seat next to him in their English class, she didn't know the teacher and decided she could get him to sign her paper after class when she proved her name wasn't her reputation any more.

Edd shrugged. "I did, I took all the advanced classes Peach Creek offered during freshmen, sophomore and part of junior year. Now I'm just taking filler classes to finish off the year."

Marie leaned forward on her elbows as the second bell rang and the teacher stood up, ready to start his lesson. "That sounds perfect Double D. You're lucky."

Double D couldn't focus the entire class with her sitting next to him, taking notes with her strawberry/vanilla perfume, rust red nail polish on skinny well defined fingers that drummed against her cheek as she listened to their teacher rant about the proper essay structure. Edd tried not to stare at her for long periods to avoid any confusion or awkward glances but she was making it hard by doing absolutely nothing.

His second hour was Cultures of the Worlds which Marie had also been hastily signed up for by the counselor this morning. After returning their English books, he lead her through the high school to the right room. "It feels like the first day of boarding school all over again, I don't know where any of my classes are." She told him, opting to take the seat behind him in the already mostly filled rows.

"Well that is why you have me." Edd told her, the bell cutting off anything she was going to say and forcing him to face forward.

It was easier for him to focus with her and her magnificent aroma behind him, that is, before Marie got bored. About halfway through the class it was clear that her attention span was one thing that had not been improved over the years in a strict private school. It started fine when she was tracing patterns on his back, if he followed it he made out 'hey DD' which was suppose to mean Double D or he missed the E that would have completed his name.

Edd could also feel when she traced out 'MK' that was clearly her initials, and an infinity symbol but after that she lost him until he felt her fingers move away from his back. From behind him she could reach the tuffs of hair that poked out from the rim of his beanie and while there weren't a whole lot to begin with, she used some inhuman skill to tangle her small fingers in the strands and scrape the base of his scalp.

Her touch with medium length nails created a combination of feather light touches and heavier scrapes on the sensitive area of his neck was driving him crazy. Double D shifted as his internal temperature rose and nearly jumped out of his seat when the bell rang. "Are you alright?" Marie asked having saw him scare at the sound of the end of class bell, sure she was use to him scaring easily but because of her not a shrill noise, then again it probably was her teasing she thought, giggling to herself.

Edd heard her quiet laughing at his expense and tried to compose himself without embarrassing himself further. He cleared his throat and picked up his notes binder. "Do you have A lunch?"

Marie nodded, following him back to his locker which she was pleasantly surprised to see was only about half a dozen down from hers and waited while he returned his notebook. "You said Ed and Eddy have A lunch so don't have to worry about me, you should sit with your friends."

He shut his locker and they both made their way towards the cafeteria, shaking his head in dismissal. "Yes but neither of your sisters are in A lunch so the last thing that will happen under my watch is you sitting alone on your first day back." Neither of them spoke again until they were in line for food. "If my friends have an issue sitting with you, they will have to find entertainment elsewhere."

Marie looked down at her empty, metal lunch tray trying to sort out her feelings. He was sticking up for her despite how she treated him when they were younger, what she couldn't understand was why he was so adamant about not only spending time with her instead of his friends but what changed to make him _want_ to. Maybe that's part of what he meant when he mentioned that a lot had changed while she was gone. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, _what a clique. _

Double D found an empty round table for them and sat next to her, pointing out many of the flyers and decorations that littered the large room. Discretely, he pointed out some of their classmates like Kevin and Jonny that were present. The surprise and interest she exhibited shocked Edd because she never cared about the Cul-De-Sac kids or at least he thought, but seeing them brought a very beautiful smile of hers that captivated him.

Fortunately for him, it was when she was finishing a question he wasn't listening to that Ed and Eddy hesitantly came up to their table with their lunch trays. "Double D, uh-" Eddy was obviously conflicted in how he wanted to handle the situation but like always, Ed was quick to make everyone laugh while relieving the heaviness between the four seniors.

"Mash potato day guys!" Marie chuckled at the boy's enthusiasm, glad that a few things hadn't changed.

Double D laughed as well as Eddy sat stiffly next to their friend. Both of them had grown physically just as Edd had, Eddy used his short stature to become a very effective running back and linebacker for the Peach Creek varsity football team; he was also very proud of the muscles he had accumulated. Ed hadn't joined a sport but thanks to age had slimmed down as well, partly because he had gotten his abnormal appetite under control and now only ate as much as the big linemen. His love of comics had propelled him to join the school paper, drawing daily cartoon strips and enjoying it very much.

Eddy didn't try to bring up Marie's presence again and lunch passed quickly. Edd brought Marie to her Mathematics twelve classroom, standing outside the door with her, ignoring the confused glances he was getting from students walking in. "What class do you have now?" She asked, loving how he looked leaning against the blue and green marble wall, he didn't have any textbooks or binders with him so his hands dug into the pockets of his black slacks.

Marie stood close to his right shoulder to avoid blocking the doorway but she knew that was more of an excuse than she was willing to admit; she was no less attracted to him now as she was when they were in middle school, if not more. He wasn't making it easy for her either, his face had no trace of childhood fat, his jaw sharp was angular with that dusting of stubble that was very quickly driving her crazy. His chest was flat and defined under the tight dress shirt, his black pants pulled suggestively at- wait did ask her something?

"-so I have two free hours until Art. Do you need help with your next two classes?"

She thought for a second, she had English, Cultures of the World, lunch, math then a study hour and Art. "Nah, I have a study period after this so I think I'll just head to the library and I remember passing the Art room on my way in so I'll manage."

Edd grinned, standing up straight as the hallway began to get quiet signaling class was close to starting. "Well I spend my free hours in the library so I'll see you then, if you need any help with your assignments I would be happy to help."

Not ready for him to leave Marie nodded, returning with her own smile. "Alright Double D, see you later."

"Enjoy your mathematics lesson." Edd offered, happy he could get her to scoff as she entered the class. The bell rang and he walked to the library with a ridiculous grin that he just couldn't wipe away as he walked into the quiet, book filled room.

There were a few familiar faces that spent lots of time in the library even this early in the year. He spent fourth hour trying and failing to work on an English essay until the girl that use to make all the Cul-De-Sac boys stutter and blush with just her presence sat down next to him. "Hey DD, what's up dude, why are you smiling so much?"

Edd cleared his throat, not realizing that his grin was still stretched out on his face. "Oh just having a good day today, what about you Nazz? Having a pleasant day?" She snorted, leaning back in the padded office chair that belonged to the librarian. She too had study period fifth hour and the two had become very comfortable with each other, Nazz was like the sister he never thought he wanted and because of this, she saw right through his cover up.

"Bull, spill your beans dude."

Double D sighed, closing the paperback book he was attempting to write an essay on and adjusted himself in the matching chair a few feet away. There was two computers behind the librarian's desk: one for checking out books which Edd was sitting down at and the other for her own use that Nazz was currently seated at, her calculus worksheet long forgotten at the new distraction he offered. "I offered to guide Marie Kanker to her classes on her first day back and we had a very decent conversation."

Nazz nodded, having heard the rumors of the blue haired Kanker sister's return to humble Peach Creek the whole day. She wasn't expecting any of the Eds, let alone Edd, to want anything to do with her but they had all changed since sixth grade so anything was possible. "How is she? She came in my calculus class for like the last five minutes last hour."

Edd leaned back to mimic her, thinking about an answer and his wording. "She is much calmer and I have yet to experience her temper so I guess she is a whole new person as far as I can see."

"So she hasn't chased you around like the old days?" The fact she referred to five years as the old days made Edd feel very old and reminded him they were seniors this year.

"No Nazz," The new voice caught both of them off guard as it laughed. "Besides, I think he could outrun me now."

The blonde leaned forward at the entrance of the girl their conversation was directed around, trying not to look too guilty. "No kidding dude, did DD tell you he broke the school's record for the long distance run time?"

Marie's finely groomed, blue eyebrows came up in surprise. She looked down at Double D with a pointed look as his face turned red. "No, he didn't." She tried not to feel jealous about the nickname, Nazz had been the object of every boys' affection for as long as she could remember, but Edd seemed more embarrassed about the praise than her.

"It's cool to see you again Marie," Nazz added, taking in the tight band tee and short shorts. She got some sun wherever they sent her and her legs were thin and long to the point the blonde was almost jealous herself. "It sure has been boring around here since you left dude."

She nodded, unsure if she should take the statement as some kind of complaint or an insult but Double D stepped in before either girl could speak again. "Nazz tells me you joined her calculus class."

Marie turned back to her old love interest, her eyes sparkling just a bit. "Yeah, my transcripts finally transferred and since I took Pre-Calc, the counselor moved me into a more challenging class."

The bluenette felt proud of herself when Edd's face lit up at the mention of the change, he leaned up to listen better as they talked almost completely ignoring their fellow classmate who smirked and watched with amusement. "-but I missed the first two weeks so I haven't quite gotten the point of derivatives yet."

Edd sent her another one of his adorable tooth gap grins that to her was just as attractive as any perfect movie star smile. "I would gladly offer you my services if you wish, derivatives are a strong point of mine."

"I would take it dude," Nazz cut in, starting to work on her own worksheet. "He did wonders for my grade."

Marie shrugged, trying to be nonchalant about her excitement for Edd's help. She pulled up a rolling chair from one of the many computers to sit next to him as he explained the product rule to her and originally she had wanted his tutoring but the middle Kanker quickly became distracted by the cologne he was wearing. It surrounded her with citrus and lavender, tempting her to do anything but pay attention to what he was saying. Instead she watched the tendons work in his hand that was easily three times bigger than her own.

Edd was taken off guard by the fifth hour bell, having been very invested in trying to teach Marie derivatives he didn't even notice how close she was until she wasn't there anymore. "Did that help?" He asked, watching her pick up the new calculus book and notebook he had been scribbling on.

Marie tried not to show how adorable she thought he looked, staring up at her with his mouth open showing the gap she loved and her pencil hanging loosely between his fingers. "Well Newton didn't invent it in a day, so I might need a little more help." Edd laughed at her history reference and stood, handing her pencil back.

"The Art room is over here." He told her as they returned their supplies to their lockers, pointing down the hall. Marie nodded, already knowing where it was but happy to let him lead her there. "We're working on portraits but we just started so I think you'll be fine."

She nodded again, finding herself smiling as she walked into the one class that made her entire senior year worth it; she loved drawing and everything about art. "Excited?" His voice poked at her and snapped Marie out of the small trance she had fallen into. Her face heated up a little when she realized she had been caught, nodding sheepishly and listening to the teacher as she explained the project to her.

Double D had never seen her so focused as she sketched out the framework for her portrait all the way to the final bell. He waited at her locker as she put all of her supplies back, smirking when she finally got there and seemed surprised that he had. "What are you still doing here?" She asked, trying to calmly gather her homework while remembering what classes she had. He was standing too close to her and his cologne was far too distracting.

"Well we were going to catch up at my house weren't we? I didn't want you to get lost in case you were a little rusty with directions." He grinned at her when she scoffed at his attempt to joke with her.

"If you wanted to walk with me you didn't have to come up with some elaborate excuse, muffin." Marie shot back at him, finally throwing her messenger bag over her shoulder, weighed down by her calculus book that was far too heavy for one textbook. She was still a little apprehensive about using her old pet names because of the history behind them, but he seemed to care less if not enjoying the playfulness she was throwing at him, he even started reciprocating.

They walked down the road, Edd explaining all the cosmetic changes that had finally fallen on the small Peach Creek Cul-De-Sac. Marie nodded, generally impressed by the pristine new pavement, sidewalks, and renovated homes but mostly not caring because her family still lived in the trailer park which was nothing compared to the nice neighborhood. She nodded, trying to look interested for Edd's sake as they made their way to his house.

Double D produced a house key and held the door open for her. Marie walked into the house a little awed, she had never been in his house before, let alone invited. "Do you want anything to eat or drink?" She heard his voice ask from the kitchen, wondering for a moment when he got there.

"No thanks." She called back, setting her bag down as he made his way back to her with a glass of water.

He took a sip before speaking and Marie was more than willing to watch his Adam's apple move as he swallowed. "We can stay down here or go up to my room?" At the end of the sentence he was questioning the options, what if she thought he was trying to-.

"Show me your room, I'd love to see it." She smiled at him, keeping her snickers in when he suddenly got very nervous about the question, following him up the stairs and to the end of the hall where he opened the door for her again.

Marie wasn't sure what she expected to see when she entered his room, but the plastic skull (she hoped) and laptop resting on a desk facing the window, science and math posters as well as some running quotes that littered the green walls, and the neatly made twin bed all made her smile because it was so _him_. "I like it."

Edd pulled the door most of the way closed to give them the added privacy even though both of his parents were out of town on business for the next two days anyway. He smiled at her, setting his glass of water down on his desk and sitting in the swivel chair, extending his arm for her to sit on the bed. "Thanks, I got rid of a lot of my old keepsakes, it is pretty bare now."

"Makes moving to college easier." She offered, crossing her legs under her, holding her sock-clad feet as she grinned at him reclining in his desk chair. "So tell me about this track thing, _DD_."

He groaned at the nickname Nazz had come accustomed to calling him. "Mother told me at the end of eighth grade year I needed to join a sport, I went through the options and Track was the only one that didn't involve physical contact…" Double D hesitated on continuing, he quickly saw an opportunity go down the road of trying to start a relationship with the blue haired girl sitting on his bed, listening intently to his story, with the one sentence bouncing around in his head. She use to torment, chase, attack him, but with her sitting in his bedroom, bright blue eyes focused on him with a smile that had actually made his knees weak the whole day, her gentle laugh sounding better than his favorite classical masterpieces, he found that he maybe _wanted _that.

People can change, he did exceptionally through their time apart and she had shown him she had as well. "Honestly I just needed something to keep my mind busy...I had a hard time concentrating when you left. Running and working out offered an outlet to forget about my thoughts."

Like Edd suspected, he caught the Kanker sister off guard as she stuttered out, "Me?" Marie hadn't expected him to have thought about her over the years, especially not joined a sport because if anything he might have gotten bigger because she wasn't there to keep him in shape, even though she knew that would never happen; he was a stick with our without her, but now he was the whole tree and was he honestly telling her that she was the main reason?

She was in a similar boat, unable to get Double D off her mind, constantly thinking about his gap smile or what he was doing in her absence. Edd nodded in response, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees. "I couldn't help but wonder about how you were handling Towerwoods because of how strict they are, if you were beating up kids or if uh, you had found a new me to follow around."

Speechless through his whole explanation, Marie found her voice responding automatically. "No one could replace you muffin." She cleared her throat, tracing patterns on her sock while her face heated up, trying to avoid looking him in the eye. "I joined the soccer team because it was the only way I could tackle people and get away with it." It was such a pathetic comparison but she had no idea how to respond to any of the things Double D was saying.

However, she was unable to stop her mouth once it had started and she quickly found herself rambling. "I was almost afraid of coming back and see you might have actually moved on and got a girlfriend, I'm actually surprised you hadn't. Everything and everyone around here has changed so much, you especially, the only thing that's the same is your hat; the beanie looks nice by the way. It almost seemed like I would never get back here to see you again and if you had finally taken it off."

Edd started to smile about halfway through her rambling, not bothering to stop her at any point, it was cute the way she used her hands and drummed against her foot where she had been drawing small patterns earlier when she was embarrassed. "After years of 'sock head' as a nickname I needed something new, my mother suggested these when we were revamping my wardrobe."

"She didn't try to convince you to take them off?" She was a little surprised by that, if his mom all but forced him, the least athletic person she's met to join a sport, then wouldn't she try to get it through to him that the constant hat wearing was getting old?

Double D played with his fingers, the light grin was gone and he was looking away from her. "She gave me my first hat," He said quietly, remembering when he was four and opening his birthday present to receive the black hat. Edd looked up when Marie hadn't responded and saw her gazing at him with an inquisitive expression, she deserved an explanation. "I-do you want to see?"

Marie felt her hands get warm, the one thing during their childhood she had controlled herself on was not pulling his damn hat off because even then there was something about how he reacted when anyone just looked at it that made her think twice. "Only if you want to show me." She managed to say not much louder than a whisper, a combination of surprise and uncertainty keeping her from being able to speak.

"No I...I need to," She tried not to point out that he had been holding on to his beanie with his eyes closed for several minutes when he spoke again. "I want to." Marie's heart melted when she heard how broken his voice was, cracking even just with those few words. Her body moved, pushing herself off the bed to sit half on his lap and the chair.

She covered his hand with her own, waiting until he opened his eyes and met her gaze. "We can do it together." He nodded, keeping his stare on her to take in every reaction that crossed her face as the white knitted beanie finally slipped off his head. "Oh Edd…"

Marie felt like the world had punched her in the stomach, her arm moved on its own up to his head, hand shaking as she traced the white scar that ran from just behind his hairline and beyond his ear. It was white and raised from the surface of his skin, none of the black silky hair grew near the marred flesh leaving it smooth to her touch as her fingers ghosted over its length.

"What happened?" She hugged his neck, trying to convince herself the scar was old and he was still there.

Edd had to take hold of her hand to stop the overwhelming flow of sensations washing over him just from the light touch from her fingertips. He took a deep breath and held her hand against his chest, trying to prepare himself for his story, the one he had never told anyone and the one no one outside his mother or father knew. "As a toddler, before the age of one, I developed a tumor. The doctors advised my parents to remove it before it put an exorbitant amount of pressure on my brain or became malignant and spread; they agreed and here we are. I have not had any problems with it for seventeen years so it was the best decision." Edd realized he was still clutching her hand to his chest and released it somewhat hesitantly, actually enjoying the warmth her much smaller palm gave off.

Marie had no idea how to respond to the information he had just given her, it was a bombshell that's for sure, and the only way she could think to transmit her understanding was to lift her shirt up.

Double D was distracted very quickly by the newly visible section of her midriff after she had unceremoniously tugged her shirt up to her bellybutton; the unnaturally flat, milky white skin was flawless besides the one spot near her hip that extended below the hem of her shorts. The white line was impeccably straight, clearly done with the confident hand of a surgeon. He couldn't resist tracing the portion available to him, racking his memory for any time he could remember seeing it but coming up empty. "How long-why didn't I-" The skin around the scar twitched as he ran one of his fingers across the blemish.

She smiled at him in an almost sad way. "You probably weren't looking there," Marie snatched his hand when the tracing was becoming unbearable and she faintly saw a smirk form on his frowning lips when he realized why.

He pouted, very unhappy with himself. "Still, I am hyper aware of all scars ever since this happened. I should have noticed it."

His self beating was cute for a moment before she started shaking her head. "It happened right before we moved here, my doctor felt something during a checkup and one test led to another to another then boom, they told us I had a tumor on my ovary. It wasn't cancerous or anything but like for you they didn't want to risk anything on such a sensitive area and removed it. Mine is a little easier to hide than yours." She ran her fingertips over his head as if to prove her point.

Edd sighed when her shirt fell down to cover her stomach and pulled her to him despite how damn close she already was. He could have lost her before she even came into his life? Then again she would probably say the same thing about him. "Edd?" Her voice was quiet and inquisitive in his ear and he almost got lost in the feeling and forgot to answer her.

Marie could barely breath because of their position, she was sitting with her knees on the computer chair he was reclined in, one on either side of his hips propped her up to finally be eye level with him after such a long time. He had pulled her flush against him so his face was in her neck and forced hers into his soft black hair where she got a strong whiff of his cologne.

Edd finally pulled back enough for them to see each other's faces and while she started with the intention of talking, the bright blue green irises that stared up at her with one of the most defeated expressions stopped her short. She swallowed the jumbled mess of words in her mind when she can't even remember what she was going to use them for.

Her hand moved from his square shoulders to cup his cheek, the short stubble scratched her palm in the best way as he leaned into her touch. She hadn't realized how close their faces were until he was pressing his lips against hers.


End file.
